Csirkepaprikás

My father in-law has a family tradition that dates back so very long ago. I have been lucky enough to be trusted with this family tradition. It is the art of making Csirkepaprikas, also known as chicken paprikash. My father in-law surprised me with a custom made pan as a gift. This pan is what makes the dish so great (besides all of the paprika and sour cream). It is the galuska pan. This type of pan was used by my father in-laws mother, grandmother, great grandmother, great great grandmother....okay you get the picture. There are modern kitchen utensils to make the galuska such as this one:

but I like the fact that there is such a long line of women on my hubby's side that used a pan a bit more similar to the one my father in-law presented to me.

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to visit with my in-laws. My mother in-law gave me the official Csirkepaprikas tutorial. Tonight as I was pondering what to make the family for dinner I decided that this was the moment of truth. It was time to really test my non-existent Czech skill.

Here we are enjoying the results of the tutorial.

CSIRKEPAPRIKAS

2 to 2 1/2 pounds chicken breasts

1 tablespoon cooking oil

Salt

Pepper

1 cup chopped onion (I omit the onion. Yuck!)

3 to 4 teaspoons paprika

1 cup chicken broth

1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups hot cooked galuska (you may use noodles but it's not the same)

1. Skin chicken. Rinse chicken; pat dry. In a skillet, cook chicken in hot oil about 15 minutes or till lightly browned, turning to brown evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.
2. Add onion and paprika to skillet; cook till onion is tender. Return chicken to skillet, turning pieces to coat with paprika mixture. Add broth to skillet. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes or till chicken is tender and no longer pink. Transfer chicken to a serving platter; keep warm.

3. For sauce, skim fat from pan juices. Measure 1 1/2 cups juices, adding water, if necessary. In a mixing bowl stir together sour cream and flour; gradually stir into pan juices. Pour into skillet. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more.

4. Spoon sauce over chicken and dumplings. Makes 6 servings.

GALUSKA

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups of water
1 egg

1. In a bowl, combine flour, water and egg. Stir ingredients together.

2. Bring a pot of water to boiling. Using a galuskaszaggato, or pan with holes, place the dumpling mixture in the pan and start to drop into the boiling water. The dumplings will float to the surface when fully cooked. Drain and place in a bowl of ice water. Drain again. Serve with sauce.

And here it is, the finished product to present to my family in my vintage corningware cornflower casserole dish. Bon appetit!

Don't be afraid by the amount of paprika in this dish. You can use the mild supermarket paprika or try the hot Hungarian type available in ethnic markets. And if you don't have access to a pan with holes in it (and why would you), just use a spoon to drop the dumpling mixture into the boiling water.

Let me know if you try this out. It's worth all the trouble. It's absolutely delicious!

What do you get....

The hubby has a client that gives him produce. Last week he came home with a box of bananas. So what do you get with 20 large bushels of bananas?

10 loaves of banana bread

7 dozen banana muffins

2 banana/chocolate chip cakes



I am banana burned out! May the next box be full of peaches. Yum!

Something New

Graham cracker's are a staple in my house. They are good any time of the day. My favorite use of this staple is in the morning with my tall, cold glass of chocolate milk. Yum!
I found a recipe for homemade graham crackers. I tried it out yesterday. The finished product is okay. They certainly aren't Keebler's but for the fun of trying something new, they are pretty good. I think the next time I make them, I will add more honey than what the recipe calls for. I think I will also try a sugar/cinnamon blend as a topping. I also had fun using my cookie cutters. I think the kids will enjoy eating graham cracker's in various shapes.

Here is the recipe if you would like to try it:

1 c oil

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c honey

2 eggs

1/2 c evaporated milk

2 tsp vanilla

6 c whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar

Mix milk with lemon juice. Add oil, honey, vanilla, eggs and sugar. Combine salt and and soda with whole wheat flour, add to the above mixture. Divide into 4 equal parts. Place on greased and floured cookie sheet and roll 1/8 inch thick to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with sugar. Prick with fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until brown. Cut when first out of the oven. Cool.

Pulling It All Together

I just wanted to update on the list from my first post. I am moving right along with the list. Especially with the support and help from my wonderful hubby. Check it out.

We purchased a clothesline.

I have bottled strawberry and raspberry jam.

Since we don't have a real garden this season, we have gone to the farmer's market and picked up yellow summer squash, zucchini and corn and have stored it in our freezer.

We have been able to indulge in delicious fruit from the farmer's market. There is nothing like a freshly picked, organic cantaloupe. The fruit just melts in your mouth. Yum!

Our lone zucchini plant in our strip of dirt is producing. We are so excited about the prospect of a much larger garden next season.

I have been doing all sorts of baking.

I have even found time to do a little crafting.

My favorite new hobby is antique shopping.

I have had so much fun with my new endeavors. I have never done anything like this before, with the exception of baking. I have learned so much in the last month and have had such a great time doing it all. Next on the list of things to do is: put fence gates up, build garden boxes for next season, purchase a new camera, more crafting, more preserving food, and definitely more baking.

Family Things

This month, the fam and I had the opportunity to vacation in the mid-west. All I have to say is I LOVED it there! Especially Illinois. Our main reason for heading in that direction was to spend time with my brother and his awesome family. Needless to say, we had a wonderful time with them. There is something special about spending one on one time with a sibling and his/her family. I feel a real sense of closeness with Dan and Sarah. Thanks guys for letting us be there with you.

The truckster and trailer fared well considering that we traveled a grand total of 3166 miles. We went through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado. We had the opportunity to see some amazing places. It's a trip we will never forget.

Here are just a few of the pictures from our trip:

Winter Quarters, Nebraska

Nauvoo, Illinois


Carthage, Illinois


St. Louis, Missouri


Independence, Missouri - RLDS Community of Christ Temple